June 2017 Portrait of the Month - Albrecht Becher

Albrecht Becher

In honor of LGBT Pride Month, we have selected this portrait of Albrecht Becher as June's Portrait of the Month. Under the Third Reich, homosexuals, specifically gay men, were heavily persecuted in pursuit of the Nazi vision of cultural purity and the growth of the Aryan nation. Section 175 of the new German Criminal Code, forbade sexual relationships between same-sex couples. As many as 15,000 gay men were sent to concentration camps. Many more were arrested and sent to prison.

Albrecht was arrested for homosexuality and spent three years in prison. In 1944, he was drafted into the German army and sent to the perilous Eastern Front, which he miraculously survived. Watch an interview and learn more about his life.

This portrait of Albrecht was created at a workshop at the Apáczai Csere János Gymnasium in Budapest, Hungary in partnership with the Zachor Remembrance Foundation. Students from the workshop were very moved by the work they did, and reflected on the experience:

“I was captivated by the feeling, following the path of light and shadow.”

“[The workshop] presented other points of view and encouraged us to think.”